Water-purification system.



PATENTED M1111. 6, 1901s` 1111111111111 S. 1 1 11 1 1 .111,1...11. 11.1...11H1H. MM.. ,H 111...H1M1..11.1..1H.H1.11...1.1 y o www 11. 1111111 u u11|11111 111 |1 u n u1111111111l1. 11 11111111111 u 1111111111111 u 4 J E m Y, J0 y 1 J. F. WIXFORD.

WATER PURIFIGATION SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED ocT.21, 1905.

ments and combinations hereinafter de- 1s supposed to be derived from a'river A, in

"UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

specification or Letters Patent.

.t'atented March 6, 1906.

Original application filed May 1,1906, Serial No. 258,228. Divided and this application filed October 21,1905.- Serial N o. 283,732.

To all whom, t may con/cern,.-

Be it known that I, JOHN F. WIXFORD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of St. Louis andState of Missouri, have invented a new and usefullmprovement in Water-Purification Systems, of which the following is a specification. v

It is noted that this is a division of my application filed May. 1, 1905, Serial N o. 258,228. y

My invention relates to systems for the purification of the Water-supplies of cities, and has for its principal .objects to provide a system of Water purication capable of -application to Waterworks lants of existing' types; to purify Water by tlie use of reagents, Which Will cause theimpurities to be precipitated; to introduce lthe reagents into the Water separately, so that none of the reagents shall be Wasted in mutual reactions to introduce reagents simultaneously into the samey stream, but at points so far apart that the reactions of the reagent iirst added shall be substantially complete before the vsecond reagent is added, and other objects hereinafter more fully appearing. y l

My invention consists in the arrangescribed and claimed.

The accompanying drawin shows a plan view of the entire system, the buildings being shown conventionally and but one settlingbasin being included.

The improved s stem for the purification of Water is shown or the purpose of illustration as applied to a Waterworks plant employing settling-basins. The supply of Water which is built an intake-tower', 1. An-intake tunnel or conduit l2 leads from the intaketoWer to an uptake-shaft 3, Which vrises to the level of the ground. A tunnel or conduit 4 connects with the uptake-shaft at a po' t considerably above the entrance-point of Ke intake tunnel orl pipe and conveys the water to a Wet-Well 5. Pipes 6 lead from thevwet- Well to a pump-house B, in which are located. pumps that force the Water through the pipes 7 to a delivery-Well 8. A' conduit 9 leads from the delivery-Well along one end of the settling-basins C, of which one is shown. A pipe 10 leads from the conduit 9 into the settling-basin, and the admission of Water is controlled by gates beneath a gate-house D.

,plants without necessitating The Water eincrg'es from the settling-basin at its opposite end through pipes 11 into a clear- Water conduit 12, which runs along the ends of the settling-basins. The plant. so far as de scribed is one of known type. To it my system'is applied Without any necessity for reconstruction of the plant, the adaptation being accomplished solely by means of additions. This adaptability of the system to existing expensive reconstruction is one of its merits. l

' The process of purification for Whichthis system is primarily adapted contemplates the coagulation of the matter to be eliminated by the addition of a reagent, such'as a V solution of ferrous sulfate, to the Water at one point, and the subsequent addition of hydrate of lime-forexample, milk of limein quantities greatly in excess of that necessary to satisfy the ferrous sulfate in solution. This process is fully described and claimed in my application for patent filed September 23,

1904,Seria1No; 225,611.

A coagulating-hou'se E is provided for the preparation of reagents, its location being preferably over or adjacent tothe uptakeshaft 3. In the coagulatin -house are arranged a'tank 13, or a plura ity of tanks, in which the solution of ferrous sulfate is continuously pre ared, hereinafter spoken .of as the iron tan s," and a lime-digester 15, or ya plurality. of lime-digesters, in Which the milk of lime is continuously prepared.

A pipe-14 conducts Water from the clear-` water conduit to the iron tank, the Water entering the tank 'through/a number of nozzles larranged at the bottom, of the tank. The

tank contains a mass of ferrous-sulfate crystals, which is replenished from-time to time and through which the Water rises, dissolving the ferrous sulfate. sulfate is preferably 'continuously prepared by the process described and claimed in my Patent No. 806,945, granted Vto me under date of December 12, 1905. A pipe 16 is connected tothe tank 1,3 near its top and communicates with the aw Water at a point beyond which the waterv is agitated for some time before it'entersthe settlin -basin. As the most violent agitation is in t e delivery- Well, it is desirable to lead the sulfatel into the Water at the well or before. the Water 4 reaches the Well. -The connection shown in the drawing is a convenient one, wherein the pipe 16 leads'into the uptake-shaft. Asthe ferrous-sulfate solution in the tank rises to The solution of ferrous IIO - centrated as'it leaves the digester.

and dilute the milk of'lime, water is intro-v duced into the discharge-pipe 18 near its' the level of the opening into the pipe 16 it flows through it into the raw water as it passes throu h the uptake-shaft.

A pipe 17 eads from the pump-house and empties into the lime-digester 15. This pipe carries hot Water, which is admitted into the 'digester just above the level of the stirrer.

The milk of lime is preferably prepared by the process described and claimed in myPatent N o. 806,946, granted to me under date of December 12, v1905. A discharge-pipe 18 leads from the digester 15, being connected thereto near the top, conducts the milk of lime to the delivery-well 8, and empties thereinto. If the delivery-well is above the level of the lime-digester, it will be necessaryto connect a pump (not shown) with the pipe 18. The milk of lime is hot and quite con- To cool point of connection with the digester by means of a branch pipe 21, leading from the pipe 14.

The Water emptying into the delivery-Well carries or is there treated with the requisite amount of 4ferrous sulfate in solution. The pumpipes empty into the deliver -well at some 'stance above the level of't e water therein, and thus thehwater is kept in a state of violent agitationw The milk of lime en- Afrom the branch pipes 19 to within two or three feet of the water-level in the basin;4

ters the water at this point.'y Theagitation in the delivery-well vand in theconduit leading therefrom keepsI the vproducts .of thel ferrous-sulfate reactions in suspension unti'lvl the- Thus the volume of -water entering the basin is broken up intoa number of small vertical streams and violent agitation fin the basin is avoided. As the pipes 2Q are uniformly dis'-y tributed across the end of the basin, a practically uniform current of iiow is induced over the entire width of the basin.

the water will be comparatively. quiet, a condition to be desired for sedimentation. EX- perience has shown that nearly all of the precipitates will coagulate and come down in a short time and within' a' short distance from the pointy of admission of the water. Thus by far the larger part of the sediment willbe deposited nearthe end of the basin atwhich the water is admitted.

Consequently the velocity of the flow can be quitelow and duit far enough The operation of the system is as follows: The water enters through the river-conduit 2, rises in the uptake-shaft 3, and is pumped through theconduit 4. The solution of the ferrous sulfate is continuously introduced into the water at the uptake-shaft. The water is sufiicientl agitated in the conduit in going throu h t e pumps and the conduits 7 to thorough y distribute the ferrous sulfate therethrough. The milk of lime is continuously introduced into the delivery-well. The

water enters the delivery-wellsonie distance. above the level ofthe Water therein, and thus there is violent agitation in said well. On account of the length of the conduit the lime vreactions will have an opportunity to take place before lthe water reaches the basin. The How throu h the conduit keeps the water agitated and prevents precipitation. Under such circumstances the water is in vcondition for rapid coagulation and forprecipitation to occur as soon as the agitation ceases. The water enters the basin through the pipes 10 19 20. Thus the stream flowing into the .basin is subdivided into a number of small streams regularly distributed over the width of the basin. The pipes 20 being directed upwardly, the velocity of the inilowing streams is partly reduced by gravity and partlyby the water above the tops of the pipes. Thus there is practically no impulse liowing streams in the direction of flow through the basin, and the water compara- .,tively near the said pip es will be quiet. Hence the impurities will be rapidly recipitated and by'far the greater part of t em will be deposited in a very,- short time after the water has entered the basin.- .Obviously the system is capable of considerable modification within the scope of my linvention, and therefore I do not wish to be.

limited tothe specific construction shown and described. What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A system of water purification comprising a settling-basin, a main conduit emptying into said basin, a reagent-solution tank, a lime digester, two conduits 'extending through said tank and said digester, respectively, and opening into said main conduit at different oints, the point nearer the basin being at suc a distance from the basin that the water will require several minutes to flow therefrom into the basin.

2. A system of water purification comprising a settling-basin, a main conduit empty-v ing into said basin, a reagent-solution tank, a lime digester, twoconduits extending through said tank and said digester respectlvely and both o `eninginto said main con-- l'rrom said'basin .to require several minutes for the watertoreach the basin from such points of opening into said main conduit.

ue to the in- IOO 3. A system of Water purification comprising a settling-basin@ conduitemptying in to 1- said basin, means to'introduce a reagent into Asaid-conduit, a lime-digester and acondit `5 extending through said.' lime-digester iiito said rst-mentoned'conduit at apoint between said 'basin'and the point of admission ofjiaid reagent. v 4.' A system of Water urication comprisio' a settling-basin, a de 'very-well, a conduit connecting said well and said basin, a supplyconduit `emptying into saidA Well' means to introduce a reagent intosaid suppiy-conduit,

- a1 lime digester and a. conduit extendin 'i r 5 through sai digester into said'delivery-Wel .v 5.. l system of water purification comprising a sett," -basin, a supply-conduit empty- -ingfinto sai basin, a'reagentsolution tank a: 'lime digester,` clearwater l conduits',

2o -empt into saidl tank and said digester, re-

spectiv a conduit'connectinggsaid tank to ,sald 'supply-conduiti at :a distance rom'said bas1n,.and ac enduit connecting said lime-di-1 gester with said supply-conduit at'a point 25 nearer said basin. 6. A system of vfater uriication comprising a settling-basin, ade 'very-Well, a conduit I connecting said basin and said well and communicating with said Well nearthe bottom, a supply-conduit opening into said Well near the top, a reagent-solution conduit arranged to introduce a reagent into said supply-conduit, and means to introduce a second reagent into said delivery-Well, said means cornprising a conduit having a lime digester therein.

7. A system of Water connecting said basin and said Well, a' supplyconduit emptying into said Well, a reagentsolution conduitopening into said supplyconduit at a distance from said Well, and means for introducing a second reagent near the point'of connection of said supply-conduit with saidwell, said means comprising a conduit containing a lime-digester.

In Witness whereof I have signed'myname to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses, this 19th day of October, 1905, at St. Louis, Missouri.

v lJOHN F. WIXFORD.

Witnesses: y

FRED F. REISNER, .J. B. MEGOWN.

urifcation comprising a settling-basin, a de ivery-Well, a conduit 

